[Diagnosis of arterial hypertension]

The intention of improving the efficiency of antihypertensive treatment, mainly regarding the reduction of excess morbidity and mortality in cardiovascular disease, offered an impressingly increasing variety of new therapeutical options within the last two decades. The anticipated success of this intensified effort also requires new approach to our diagnostic accuracy. Therefore not only the complete individually cardiovascular risk profile, but also the recently by national and international societies modified guidelines for intervention, regarding to blood pressure level and concomitant diseases, have to be taken in account. On the other hand the in the meantime wide-spread use of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is not only able to provide valuable data concerning prognosis, but also is an undeniable important method distinguishing low risk groups such as the white coat hypertensives. Secondary hypertension actually is a rare condition of about 5% of all hypertensives. Nevertheless the appropriate diagnosis has to be established immediately as it is a potentially curable disease.